I have just noticed the Access Token has been removed from the Web IDE. It now directs users to generate an access token using the particle CLI.
This is a big pain for me. I teach design students. I’ve been doing this for 5 years with Particle. The reason our University chose Particle was because there was low barrier to entry. The idea that I’m going to get a class full of design students to install and use a CLI to generate access tokens is nuts.
Why did it go away? Will it come back? If I want to trigger a function on a Particle device should I be using a different method? If anyone has answers, or similar problems please let me know.
I also don't see the benefit of removing that from Web IDE but maybe @bsatrom or @marekparticle can enlighten us (might have something to do with the tightened security regime)
One possible (not advisable tho') workaround might be to use Particle.subscribe(..., ALL_DEVICES) and use Particle.publish(..., PUBLIC) from a commonly known (shudder) account with known access token.
However, bad habits shouldn't be taught, so better forget what I just wrote
You’re right @ScruffR - this was a security decision.
@scottm: you can find a number of ways to view/generate personal access tokens here. While this is definitely more cumbersome than a quick trip to build.particle.io, see the instructions about using cURL and/or the temporary access token in the Console!
Hi @marekparticle I get a message that I am not authorised to access the view/generate personal access tokens page you refer to.
Having access token in the Web IDE is more convenient than a quick trip, it’s where the students are working so it is just where they need it. It is also where getting started guides from Sparkfun, Adafruit, Ubidots, etc… say to find it.
I bet I’m not alone in wanting this feature back. Can the Web IDE not be made secure?
Hi @scottm - apologies! I thought this had been published, but it wasn’t. It is now, alongside a number of similar, hopefully helpful articles. Please confirm that you can see it!
I’ll relay your concerns to my colleagues, but I personally believe that this is a change for the better. Access tokens are the keys to Event Streams, Particle Devices, a host of other potentially valuable information best kept secure. The methods in the Support Guide above are not so much more intrusive, and do a lot of good.
I am very grateful to you for pointing out that this change is not reflected in setup guides produced by our distributors and peers. I will try and find a way to communicate this change outward.
Thanks for addressing this internally. I also ran into this problem and stumbled upon the same docs you linked in.
The response I get back from the command is not intuitive, so it would be helpful to include an example in the docs.
Hi @Pescatore! I’m invested in improving those docs as best as I can. Would you mind elaborating a bit more on which command (CLI or API) you used, and what part of the process felt less than intuitive?
I needed a curl command to call a function, so I went searching for my access token.
I used the example in the Particle API Reference docs to list access tokens with this command:
curl https://api.particle.io/v1/access_tokens -u "unam:pwrd"
I got back a whole mess of tokens. I picked out what looked like my token and my curl command worked.
Hi @marekparticle - yes, that’s visible now, and very clear, thanks.
From my perspective, asking students to install the CLI, so they can generate an access token presents a barrier to student learning, and it’s one more thing I have to troubleshoot when teaching.
Given that a temporary access token can be found in the Console, would it be possible to have the same available in the Web IDE? Is the Console more secure than the Web IDE?
